Provides that the department may enter into a written cost-reimbursement agreement with an applicant, permit holder, or project operator to recover from the applicant, permit holder, or project operator the reasonable costs incurred by the department in carrying out the requirements of chapter 78.52 RCW, as they relate to permit coordination, environmental review, application review, technical studies in support of permit processing, or orders issued by the oil and gas supervisor and permit compliance. Cost-reimbursement agreements are considered an interim measure until oil and gas development activities necessitate additional department staffing resources.

Requires cost-reimbursement agreements to be initiated at the request of an applicant for the purpose of assisting the department in expediting and facilitating the permitting and compliance processes. The cost-reimbursement agreement must identify the specific tasks, costs, and schedule for work to be conducted under the agreement.